A Breast Augmentation Journey

Below is a story from one of my patients that I’d like to share with you.

You know the saying, “Everything’s bigger in Texas”?
Well unfortunately that isn’t always the case.

I grew up in Dallas and had a wonderful childhood. But no matter the generation,
kids are just MEAN. When all the girls started to need larger bras I was
barely filling my A cup. And I was a tough Texas girl, but when the kids
in highschool started calling me “flat-chested”, saying I
had bee stings, and even calling me a boy, it was a little hard to deal with.

I have a wonderful mother who I could share anything with. When I told
her about this one day after school, she said something I will never forget:
“Confidence is what makes you beautiful. You find what makes you
confident, no matter what it is, and you hold on to that. They can’t
take that feeling away from you.”

Fast forward to college I never heard those mean terms again, thankfully.
I eventually met my boyfriend who loved me just the way I was, and after
we graduated we moved to his home town of Culver City, CA. We got married,
had 3 beautiful kids, and life was great. Something I couldn’t shake
though was when I was pregnant with them, each time my breasts grew to
a C cup! I was extremely confident before my kids thanks to my mother,
but man did I like the way they looked for those glorious child-bearing years.

I felt even more sexy and confident than ever before, even with the baby bump.

Keeping my mother’s words of wisdom in mind, I held on to that idea
of what made me (even more so) confident and started to make it a reality.
Undoubtedly my husband had no complaints. So then began the Breast Augmentation
research. The first thing I typed in naturally was “Beverly Hills
Breast Augmentation,” hearing about all those fabulous Beverly Hills
plastic surgeons and all. Low and behold, Gabbay Plastic Surgery was at
the top of the page. I continued looking at a few other surgeons, but
I kept finding myself going back to Dr. Gabbay’s website.

I knew then I had to call and schedule a consultation.

CONSULTATION

The office was stunning; I loved the view! When they called my name to
come back I felt a combination of nervousness and excitement. Dr. Joubin
Gabbay began the consultation with chit-chat which made me feel more comfortable
and then slowly eased into the topic of breast augmentation.

I had no idea there were so many choices to choose from when it came to
Breast Augmentation. It actually makes it better though since you basically
customize the way you want your breasts to turn out because you have the
control to choose. Dr. Gabbay laid out what I had to choose from and each
option in full detail, reassuring me that he would help me with each decision.

Firstly, he asked how much larger I wanted to be. I told him how I was
a full C when I had my kids and he agreed that was a good increase in
size without being obvious. He then explained the pros and cons of silicone,
saline, and gummy bear implants. We both came to the decision that silicone
would suite me best. Dr. Gabbay and I decided on round shaped implants
since tear-drop shape can rotate in the pocket and potentially cause problems,
where the round implants can rotate and not cause any problems or noticeable
change. We also decided on smooth implants rather than textured since
smooth feels more natural to the touch and has a much less chance of rippling.

Dr. Gabbay explained that smooth implants are best placed underneath the
muscle as opposed to over, so I went with that; I fully trusted him.

Not wanting obvious scarring, he said he can insert them by making an incision
around my areola so any resulting scars would blend in naturally. I had
asked if the procedure would hurt, and he said with all surgeries there
is a chance of slight discomfort, but he does everything in his power
to keep his patients as comfortable as possible. That was definitely a plus!

I couldn’t have asked for a better surgeon.

He was so patient when I asked question after question and he made sure
that I was not just listening but actually understood everything he was
telling me. Dr. Gabbay made me feel so comfortable with my Breast Augmentation
option decisions, which made me feel EVEN MORE confident that I was making
the right decision for myself. His knowledge combined with his support
and bedside manners made me want to just get them that day!

PROCEDURE

The morning of my surgery I could not stop smiling. My husband dropped
me off, gave me a kiss, told me he’d be waiting when I woke, and
I confidently strut my Texas turned West Coast self into the office.

Dr. Gabbay marked the incision locations on my breast where he would insert
the implant through. I was then given general anesthesia, and sure enough
the next thing I remember is waking up and seeing my bigger bust!

Of course Dr. Gabbay explained during my consultation everything that would happen.

So after I was anesthetized he made the incisions around the areola, created
the pocket underneath the muscle, and then placed my implants. He told
me he was very diligent in making sure they were as even and symmetrical
as possible. The incisions were then closed and I woke up slowly with
the care of his helpful staff. The whole procedure lasted around an hour
and a half plus the time I spent recuperating in the recovery room.

From the moment I opened my eyes I could not stop staring at them! Given
they were wrapped in bandaging, but I could tell there was an amazing
physical enhancement underneath. It was the most incredible feeling knowing
that this body alteration was not just due to pregnancy, but would last
for years to come!

Pain was very minimal, like Dr. Gabbay said it would be. Yes, I felt some
pressure, but I had just undergone a surgical procedure; some discomfort
was assumed. It was not unbearable though, and pain medication was only
needed on occasion. Going home and resting definitely helped my comfort
level too.

DOWNTIME

I was able to take a week off from work to ensure I got enough rest, and
I have the best friends in the world for helping me with my little ones
while my husband was working. I slept on my back with my head elevated
for a couple weeks; it helped reduce the swelling a lot. I couldn’t
lift my arms very high but Dr. Gabbay warned me of this so we set everything
I would need at counter level ahead of time.

I was able to get back to work after a week and return to my normal daily
activities. At my first follow-up appointment Dr. Gabbay assessed my healing
progress and made sure everything was going as plan, which it was! My
surgical bra came off after a couple of weeks, and he told me I should
massage my breasts in a specific way to relax and soften them. The discomfort
only lasted about a week after my surgery.

PRICE

For a Breast Augmentation procedure I thought it was an extremely fair price.

This was not a quick little procedure; a lot of time and care went into
it. And Gabbay Plastic Surgery offers the occasional special so that helped
a lot. You pay for your results ultimately, so I was okay with paying
a little more. Of course you see those surgeons online who offer ⅓ of
the average rate, but if you look at their before and after pictures you
can see why. You don’t want to skimp on something that lasts for
years and I am sure glad I didn’t.

BEAUTIFUL RESULTS!

I am over-the-moon ecstatic with my results, and my confidence is through
the roof! It was exactly what I had envisioned, looking just about identical
to how they looked when I was pregnant. If I wasn’t at work or with
my kids you can sure bet I was at Victoria’s Secret! I feel so amazing
about the way I look, the way I feel, and the fact that I did it because
I wanted to. Nobody pushed me to get this done; it was my own decision
which makes it that much more special.